Prayer Points: Needs Supplied

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19

Read: Philippians 4:10-20

On the Prayer Points card that you received during our mission dinner (you can also access these points on our website by clicking here) point number 6 is; “that the needs of the ministry will be supplied.”

When I was before the Lord getting these points, my thoughts regarding this one were probably the same as yours… ministry needs being supplied means that everything I need to accomplish the mission - the resources I need to get to Spain, to be in Spain, etc. would be supplied. Certainly, this matters and it’s your prayers and support that allows for this need to be met.

Recently, however, a new aspect of this point came to light through a revelation brought by the Holy Spirit.

I was in a time of prayer, and I was praying for a certain woman’s need for tires on her car. She’s an older lady, and she couldn’t afford the tires on her own. As I was praying for this need to be met, suddenly I was reminded of the parable of the good samaritan in Luke 10:25-37. In verse 25, a lawyer stands up and tests Jesus, asking Him what he needs to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus turns the question back on him and asks what he would say the law says about it. The lawyer responds that the law says “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus said to him “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” The lawyer then wanted to justify himself in asking the question and said “who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responds with a parable that all of us are familiar with.

There’s a man who falls prey to thieves, is wounded and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest and a levite are walking along the road in turn. Both of them notice the man, but pass by on the other side. Then a Samaritan comes along, notices the man, and gives him what he needs - medical attention, and a place to rest and recover, at his personal expense.

It’s a story we’re all taught as kids but I regret to say, it’s not very often we live by the principle illustrated.

Jesus certainly knew what He was doing when He had the first two men in His story be those who had supposedly dedicated their lives to God’s service. What a picture for us today! How many of us - myself included - see a blatant need and ignore it!

We make all sorts of excuses for ourselves. “Don’t have the time, I’m in a hurry”… “I don’t know them, they’re a stranger and could be dangerous”… and perhaps worst of all… “They don’t deserve it”.

How can we be so wrapped up in ourselves and calloused to people’s needs? We forget that Jesus said in Matthew 25:31-40:

“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ and the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me…"‘“

Jesus is saying something incredibly radical here. Jesus considers that person in need to be Himself. He considers that need to be His own. When we SEE the need and ignore it, we’re ignoring a need that Jesus Himself has. when we see the need and answer it with the love and generosity that God has abundantly place in our hearts for this very purpose - we are feeding Him, clothing Him, loving Him.

The Body of Christ - the local church and the body at large - needs to be more sensitive to the physical needs of those outside the body.

Physical needs cannot be met by spiritual food alone.

“What does it profit, my brethren if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘depart in peace, be warmed and filled’, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

James 2:14-17

If we have faith, but don’t put that faith into action, it is dead - useless. It isn’t doing anyone any good - not us, not God, not the lost or our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The promises that God has given us are given to us for THEM. We’re not meant to hold on to these things but to GIVE THEM AWAY.

“…Freely you have received, freely give.”

Matthew 10:8

What would happen if we began to live this way? What would the kingdom increase be like?

Let us start looking at the needs we see around us as the Lord’s needs - because that’s how He looks at them. Instead of going to someone and asking “what do you need?” let’s ask God “What do YOU need, Lord?”

The woman I mentioned who needed the tires received what she needed. A group of faithful “Samaritans” went in together to take care of this need. What did they do? They bought Jesus a new set of tires!

I’ve asked God to ingrain this in me - to really get it rooted in me - the churches that I plant in Spain are not there to take. The churches that will be established in Spain through this ministry are there to GIVE. To give time, resources, both physical and spiritual; to give of everything we have. I want it to be established over each church plant - a ‘banner’ so to speak, flying above each one saying, “come and receive”. Whatever you need - whether it’s a natural need, or a spiritual need, come and meet Jesus - He wants to take care of every need you have.

Thank you for partnering with us to reach the nations! When you partner with us, YOU GO with us, sharing the Gospel of hope with the lost, making disciples, and reaping a harvest for the Lord Jesus!

Amen!